Familiar to many within the German music scene, Weissglut had two  official releases (one with current Silber singer Tom v. K, and one with Josef Maria Klumb, who left the band due to his extreme right wing political views) before they reformed under the name Silber. I don’t know the exact reasons for this name change, I suppose just to distance themselves further from their original singer, but whatever the reasoning, the music did not suffer for it. This is their first album under the new name, and it shows a definite progression from the last Weissglut album, Zeichen.
Like Zeichen (and unlike their second release as Silber, Hier und Jetzt) this album makes use of keyboards, however unlike many bands, such as Treibhaus or Eisbrecher, the keyboards are kept to a minimum, allowing the music to be propelled primarily by the guitar, drum, and bass, excepting the final, semi-instrumental hidden track Achtung, Zuhören!.
By and large this is a well done album, with only a few weak points that I could find. The biggest problem that I have with the album and the band as a whole is that, occasionally, Tom’s voice can be a bit off putting. Don’t get me wrong, I think the guy is a very competent singer, but there are a few tracks where he just doesn’t quite match the music well enough. This, however, is very much a matter of personal taste.
Overall, a strong (debut) album from Silber, and while I don’t entirely understand the reasoning behind the name change, I certainly can’t fault them for the new image. I would highly recommend checking out their more recent album, Hier und Jetzt, as well as the last Weissglut album, Zeichen, because the real progression in sound I found to be beneficial to the listening experience.
[While I wasn’t able to fit it into the review, I must also give the guys props for the song Flieg, which is one of the best NDH songs I have heard, and definitely the best song in their catalogue]
Score:
Hompage: Silber.cc
Reviewer: Paul Gifford
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